


Recovery

by snowynight



Series: Changeling [2]
Category: Marvel
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Established Relationship, Multi, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-08
Updated: 2012-02-08
Packaged: 2017-10-30 19:39:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/335355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowynight/pseuds/snowynight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abducted and endured numerous torture, Steve and Tony escape, only to find that their worlds're stolen from them. Can they build a place for themselves?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Recovery

Steve wasn't quite sure how he escaped from the faerie realm. His whole body was in pain and bleeding. He had a vague memory of falling off a slope and tearing his skin on the thorny plants on the ground . But more importantly, he needed to move. He looked around the area and found that he was alone in a cemetery. Panic rose. _Where's Tony?_  
  
Carefully ,he searched around the cemetery. It was a deep night, but he could see twisted trees that uncomfortably reminded him of a claw and regular lines of graces. There was a small brick building that Steve assumed to be a church. Not many cemeteries had them  He looked at his hands and found that they were hairy and big. He didn't need to examine the  rest of body to know that it had also changed. _How could he find a place in the human world now?_  
  
Calm down, soldier, he said to himself. He didn't escape from the faerie realm to just collapse from weakness. He had duty to the country, and Tony.  
Now he needed to find Tony. He must have escaped. Anything else  was unimaginable.  
  
He went to the gate and was not surprised that it was locked. Saying sorry when he pried open the gate, he continued his search. Finally he heard a familiar voice, "Steve?"  
  
It was Tony. Steve rushed to him and took  him in his arms carefully, as Tony was impossibly thin even for a changeling and much more fragile than him. Tony’s clockwork heart pressed uncomfortably close to Steve.  When Tony gently leaned his head to Steve's shoulder, he could feel the wetness on his shoulder.  
  
Steve didn't ask how Tony escaped. As Tony was a master smith, Tony's escape would require utmost cunning and wit. He was just glad that Tony was here, and told him so.  
  
"I'm glad... I don't know... without you,..." Tony whispered back.  
  
Practicality ended the hug, too soon, in Steve 's opinion, when he tensed to hear an accented American English voice. His heart was about to burst, for he didn't know how many years he hadn't heard such a voice. However, there was a war. A human could be a help, or a dangerous enemy. He told Tony to hide in the shadow of a tree, and proceeded carefully.  
  
To Steve's surprise, the voice didn't come from a mortal. It was actually a changeling, with a smooth and curved mirror as her face. Steve was still on guard though, because he knew that even among changelings, there were those loyal to the faerie and worked with them.  
  
The changeling said, "You can't stay here forever. Come with me. I'll arrange a shelter for you."  
  
"How can I trust you?" This changeling just appeared here too conveniently for Steve to trust her.  
  
Seeming to know what Steve was thinking, she said, "This is a portal between the faerie realm and this world. I often come here to check on whether there’re new changelings. As for trusting me, can you afford not to? Soon it will be day and you'll be discovered by the mortals. Believe me, you don't want to."  
  
There seemed to be no other options, so Steve said, "Fine."  
  
"All right. I'm Wanda, and I'll act as a guide to you and your friend."  
  
She must have heard the gears in Tony’s heart cracking. Steve hesitated. But Tony needed care. And they were desperate. He signalled Tony to come to him.  
  
"If you lied..." he threatened.  
  
"I won't be tricked into a contract, but I bear no ill will."  
  
. Only then Steve noticed that she was holding a first aid kit and a paper bag. she bandaged Steve and Tony, and then gave them a water bottle each from the bag. Steve drunk from the bottle greedily and nearly choked. Finally Wanda led them to a car, which looked very slick and very different from the usual cars he had memory of, but then memory was tricky.  
  
Steve asked, “Why not subway?”  
  
Wanda replied, “Can you handle the subway cars now?”  
  
Steve said nothing. He wasn’t sure he could deal with the dark tunnel and crowed subwaycars.  
  
When they entered the car, Wanda started to drive.  
  
On the way Steve noticed that the streets looked different. Too many cars, too many buildings, too many lights. There was nothing to link him to his New York. "Where are  we? What year is it?"  
  
"New York, 2012."  
  
"You must be lying. It should be... 1944."  
  
Wanda's voice sounded surprised. "You managed to escape after so many decades? You must be very strong-willed."  
  
Steve didn't want to remember the numerous failed attempts. The terror was enough to let him forget the pain.  
  
Steve had an impulse to jump out of the car. This was... impossible. But he had to think of Tony. Escaping when the car stopped would be easier. There were more and more high buildings on the roadside. Cars of different sizes ran at high speed.   Steve started to believe that this was not his time as there were no way so many cars were on the road due to petrol control.  
  
Finally the car stopped at an quiet street. Then Wanda led them to an alley. There was a two-storey old brick building. Wanda led them to a metal door. She pulled out a key, opened the door and led them inside. Steve had to adapt his eyes to the light. This looked like a comfortable living room from the magazine in his time, with sofa and desk. Both were very sturdy. After that he noticed that there were several properly dressed changelings of different kinds there. One was a cyclops, with one eyes in the middle of her head. There was a light smell of blood on her, and Steve avoided her eye uncomfortably. Another 's back bent so much she looked like a pale brown question mark. The last one though was huge and muscular, with brazen skin. Her eyes were so bright that Steve couldn't look straight into them. There was a smell of smoke. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Carol, the leader of this local changeling community, the Nest," she said.  
  
"What do you want of us?"  
  
"We provide hospitality to the newly escaped changelings. Food, shelter, fake id. When you stay for awhile, you may want to join us to defend the community against threat. Then you pledge to join us. In return, you'll have the support of the community."  
  
Steve was relieved when he heard the condition laid out like that. So far no one seemed keen to trick them into making any contracts. He asked Tony, "Do you want to stay?"  
  
Tony nodded.  
  
"We'll stay for now," Steve said. "Thank you."  
  
Carol smiled. Then she asked,"Do you still remember your names?"  
  
"Steve," Steve said.  
  
Tony replied, "Tony Stark."  
  
Carol narrowed her eyes and said, "Are you son of the billionaire Howard Stark?"  
  
"I guess so. It sounds like my father's name."  
  
"Then I have bad news for you. A fetch has taken over your life. He was just in the headlines yesterday."  
  
"What?" Tony shouted, his eyes wide open.  
  
"It 's common for our lives to be taken over, but we'll help you. Don't take any foolish action yet. Rest and plan." Carol then led them to an upper floor.  
  
Steve looked at Tony to silently ask him about whether to share a room. Back in the faerie realm, they spent whatever time they could steal away from the faerie’s prying eyes to be together, and he’d like to ensure Tony was in his range of sight.  However, it seemed to be such an obvious display of an intimate relationship and he wasn’t sure whether Tony waned it. Carol stopped before a room and Tony opened it. Steve was about to go and Tony pulled him toward the room.  Steve felt  warmth but he looked at Carol to check her response. She didn't blink when they shared a room and Steve was grateful. Steve wondered whether to lock the door, but it reminded him too much of a prison, so he left it closed but unlocked instead.  
  
When Steve was sure that there were no one outside the door, Steve and Tony sat together as close as they could without pressing on each other’s wound. Steve rubbed softly Tony’s hair and said, “We’re back now.” Though he lost his world, an uncertain future with Tony together was still better than back in the faerie realm, where you couldn’t get even death as relief.  
  
Tony said, “Yes, we’re back.” . But he didn’t sound happy. Steve could sense the anger in his voice.  
  
“We’ll deal with the fetch. You’ll soon return to your life.”  
  
“With you” Tony smiled.  
  
Steve felt warmed by Tony’s words.  
<hr>  
  
Steve had a dream. He knew that this was a dream, like all changelings. He saw a wolf under the moonlight, watching him as if about to pounce. He woke up and found that it was early morning, and Tony was still asleep. Steve left the bed carefully, and started his work-out routine. He didn't dare to take any chances.  
  
Steve opened the door and tried to go down as quietly as he can, which he could be excellent with as per his seeming 's ability. Then he saw Carol at the lobby.  
  
“Morning,” Carol said.  
  
"Morning," Steve replied politely.  
  
"Your friend haven't waken up yet."  
  
"He needs more sleep."  
  
Carol nodded and led Steve to a kitchen. "Wanda told me that you were abducted in 1942, so you had the most to adjust. She advises me to go slowly, but I don't think we have the luxury so we'll start by teaching you to use the kitchen utensils first."  
  
Carol showed him a square machine and told him it was a microwave oven. The control of the machine was complex and Steve needed several time to remember it. He was also surprised by how small the refrigerater was compared to his time. The dishwasher and the blender looked amazing too. After some accident, Steve managed to use the microwave and the dishwasher. He was more relieved when he made bacon and eggs with the familiar frying pan.  Carol made some omelette. They put the food on the table and started to eat. He gulped them in one bite, as he was used to have his food stolen or robbed from him. After so many years of faerie food, the strange yet familiar taste of bacon and eggs could make him cry. He looked at Carol, as it was quite impolite before a lady, but she didn’t say anything.  
  
In the middle Carol said, "I like to lay things straight before others. We'll provide you the essentials and IDs. I'll give you time to orientate yourself, but then you need a job. We run a dance club nearby to support ourselves. Want to be our bouncer for now before finding other options?"  
  
"Thank you," Steve said. Then Tony got down to join them, his body tensed with nervous energy and only relaxed when he sat by Steve's side.  
  
A man joined them. He was Black, big-shouldered, tall and muscular, with a killer smile. He was so strikingly handsome that although Steve knew that it was a part of his seeming, his eyes couldn't help but linger on his face. There was admiration in his heart, as changelings of this type had the second hardest time in faerie realm to escape. Before Steve said anything, Carol said, "This's Luke. He'll act as your orientation guide today."  
  
"Happy to see you. Now get ready," Luke said.  
  
“Will it be dangerous if the mortals see us?”  
  
“No. The mortals can’t see through the magic cast on us to hide our true nature --- seeming.”  
  
Steve looked at the street and saw a wide variety of people. Some were in suits. Some wore a lot of leather. Some wore clothes too short to be decent for his time. They were of different skin colours, different sizes, different, genders, but more importantly, they were all humans. Steve wasn’t quite used to it.  
  
Luke said, “You see Black folks like us on the street free and are surprised?”  
  
“No, I don’t mean that.” Steve felt embarrassed  
  
“I know you came from 1944. So I guess you need a quick lesson in history.”  
  
Luke was straightforward and spoke to the point in his guided tour, not only to speak of New York, but also a brief history. Steve saw that the tenement  buildings he had grown up in were torn down, replaced by newer buildings. He guessed he should be glad that the living situation had improved, but he only felt a sense of loss. The smell wasn’t quite right. The sounds were too loud. This didn’t seem to be the place he remembered, although he could see the old shadow lingering. Steve only told Luke to stop at one place.  
  
That was Vietnam Veterans Plaza. It was as beautiful as the war is ugly. But it seemed a suitable place to remember the soldiers, who lives were like a spark. This memorial was made of glass and granite. Steve heard that excerpts from letters written by the Vietnam veterans and their loved ones were etched onto the wall, and his hand retreated as if it were burnt.  
  
“It’s not your war,” Luke said.  
  
“But they didn’t return either,” Steve said, his fingers touching the names engraved on the wall of honour. They set out young, hopeful and loved. They died, and were remembered by the country here.  
He didn’t even have anyone alive from his world to remember him.<hr>  
  
When they returned, Steve asked Luke, “Did anyone try to come clean to the government, warning the country of fey threat?”  
  
“What’s the use? The government is useless, the mortal weapons a joke against them. I knew three people who came clean. One ended up in a mental hospital. The next became a target of a privateer. The last I never saw again”  
  
Luke patted his shoulder and whispered, “there was rumour that the government captured and experimented on changelings like us. So don’t come clean to anyone easily. Anyone in the know may be the feys’ target too.”  
  
Steve nodded. He wouldn’t care so much if he was alone. But Tony...  
<hr>  
Carol’s dance club was small compared to the ones He recalled in the days he went to Harlem’s clubs. Its name was the Cuckoo, which Steve thought ironic. The exterior  wall looked unimpressive, but once you got through the tunnel you reached  the lounge, which was lined with with classic brown leather banquettes. There was a small bar near the entrance, opposite an wall lined with different kinds of wine.  
.  
The first night Steve worked as a bouncer at Carol’s club, he found he missed his Big Band music and Swing dance dearly. The music was loud with fast rhythms, the lyrics a bit too explicit to his taste, the dancers a bit too close. But his duty was to protect the club, not to dwell on useless wondering.  
  
With his keener sense, he soon found out that someone was randomly shouting loud things to other patrons. Steve might not be familiar with this time, but he could guess that the person was cursing and shouting out slurs, trying to get into a fight. Frowning, he went to the person, and found that this was an ogre. However, this didn’t excuse his behaviour.  
  
“Mister, you’d better watch your mouth, or I’ll clean it with soap,” Steve said.  
  
The ogre turned his abuse to Steve instead. “...You don’t even belong here!...”  
  
Steve frowned, gripping his shoulder and threw him out of the club. Carol came to Steve and the ogre seemed to beam, “Danvers, your...”  
  
“Out,” Carol said.  
  
The ogre seemed to want to say something, but he relented under Carol’s glare and left. Carol said to Steve, “Well done.”  
  
Later when the club closed, Steve asked Carol about the changeling. Carol said, “You know that we changelings can harvest emotion to fuel our magic. This ogre must have been new to make trouble here to harvest anger.”  
  
This was quite new to Steve. He made a note to investigate further and asked, “So do I...”  
  
“No, you do right. With this rate, this changeling will cause trouble he can’t handle. Better learn a lesson here now.”  
  
Then Carol patted his shoulder and said, “You may not be in tune with the world here. But you’ll get used to it.”  
  
Steve said, “I hope so.” There were so much  he didn’t know about being a changeling and this world.”  
  
Steve returned to their room and saw Tony there. They shared their days with each other and Tony said that he was planning to build a workshop. When the time was late, Tony asked, “Remember what we say about he future?”  
“Of course.”  
  
“Well I may not be able to show you to my mother now, but we will.”  
  
“Definitely.”  
<hr>  
  
Three months later.  
  
Tony unsurprisingly adapted to the life in changeling's world much faster than Steve. He even charmed Carol into letting him use the garage as a workshop. He smiled, drank, and some even commented that Tony must be falsely misclassified. He was too outgoing for a wizened, the kind of changelings that endured mindless slave labour, despite his wonderful handiwork. He wasn’t allowed into the kitchen again, but Steve had to admit that the robot made from parts of the coffee pot was adorable. Tony named it Dummy.  
  
Steve would be tricked into believing so if he didn't notice Tony’s shaking hands after prolonged human contact. He asked Tony, who only said with a bitter smile, “Remember the time I said I had been a playboy once? Well, I’d lost my touch. “  
  
“It’s all right if you...”  
  
“I can overcome it.”  
  
Steve noticed that Tony drank a lot these days, but he didn’t say anything.  
  
No one but Steve knew how much effort Tony needed to fall asleep. Tony’d rather work himself to death in the workshop, and it was a frightening metaphor. When in bed, Tony still talked and struggled in his sleep after all the time. Lullaby, hot milk, bedside stories, Steve tried all the old remedies he knew, but he found that so far the most effective way was Steve’s presence. Tony slept better in his arms and Steve was used to prying Tony out of his workshop to sleep. Steve didn’t want to think what’d happen if it one day it didn’t work anymore.  .  
  
Tony might have this casual exterior, but from his obsessive collection of news about the fetch bearing his name, his ventures to go near the Stark Mansion and the Stark Industries, and the insomniac nights that spent in conversation, Steve knew that Tony desperately wanted his stolen life back.  
  
And even if Tony didn’t, the fetch already acted.  
  
Luke pulled him aside one day, looking tense. Steve asked, “What’s happened?”  
  
“I have some contact that said people are nosing around, targeting your Tony. Better be careful.”  
  
Steve was embarrassed about the possessive pronoun, but Tony’s safety was more important. “Do your contact say who sent them?”  
  
“It seems that it’s Stark, your Tony’s family.  
  
“That... It can be the family...”  
  
“Probably the fetch, trying to get rid of the threat. I see fetch trying to do this, and this fetch’s ripe with money to do it.”  
  
“Thank you for telling me.”  
  
“Well, just feel the need to pass it on.”  
  
Steve was grateful and impulsively he said, “I should treat you to a meal, your choice of place.”  
  
“Well thanks.”  
  
Tony once told Steve that his plan was to build a business empire, buying out Stark Industries and facing his father, because, he said with an ironic smile, his father only accepted success.  Steve wondered what was going on with Tony’s family but he wisely didn’t ask, sensing that it was a taboo topic. Steve didn’t suspect his will to do it, but Steve wondered whether Tony could wait so long. Rome wasn’t built in one day. Steve also felt useless as he didn’t have either the business acumen or the engineering talent to help. He could only try to support Tony the only way he knew --- by reminding him that he still needed sleep and food, and providing emotional comfort. .However, he worried that these weren’t enough.  
  
And the fetch didn’t have such patience either. More worriedly, his hirelings  were approaching the shelter. Steve had tracked and drove away several suspicious people nosing around the club, but it could only be a temporary solution.  
  
Then one day Tony came to Steve with the words, “I have to kill the fetch.”  
  
Steve was surprised, and asked, “Why so soon?”  
  
Tony handed him a newspaper. The headline says, “Billionaire Howard Stark and wife killed in a car accident.”  
  
Tony said, “I don’t believe that’s an accident. It must be...”  
  
Steve hugged Tony, who was tense at first, then relaxed.  He could hear Tony’s suppressed  sobbing, his body shaking. Tony’s family was his link to this world, and now that this was gone... Steve didn’t know what’d happen. Steve desperately wanted to think of suitable things to say, and nothing came.  
  
When Tony regained his composure, he said, “Teach me how to fight.”  
  
Steve nodded. This was the least he could do for Tony.  
<hr>  
Sometimes, Steve wondered whether he could build a new life in this weird place. Even with Tony beside him, it was difficult. Often he would dream that he was still back in the faerie realm. He dared not look into the mirror because it reminded him that he was no longer a human. Tony had a definite life goal: to regain his life. But Steve... What would his position be?  
  
In retrospect, Steve wondered whether he overlooked signs when he dwelt on his personal problem.  
  
Firstly, there were more new faces in the club. They didn't seem to want to dance, and they were asking too many questions to the bartenders. The bartender Jayne deflected them, but they were uncomfortably close to locating Tony.  
  
Secondly, Tony’s business met mystical obstacles. Materials mystically missing in the warehouse, Bank loans cancelled at the last minute, everything seemed to work against Tony  
  
Steve and Tony knew that it was the fetch’s doing, but they had not yet been able to act, so they had to wait.  
  
Tony seemed more frustrated.  
  
Under Carol’s polite suggestion, Steve and Tony went to a changeling psychiatrist Dr. Habib for counselling.  
  
Steve didn’t know what to expect when he heard about meeting a psychiatrist. He feared that it indicated some mental problems of his own, but Carol assured him that it wasn’t the issue here. Besides, she said it would be good for Tony’s sleeping problem.  
  
Steve arrived at the clinic on time and Dr Habib welcomed him with a firm handshake. She was a tall and slender Arabian woman, with her hair tied up into a pony tail.  To Steve’s surprise, he didn’t need to sleep on a couch like what the films showed. Dr Habib didn’t ask him to tell everything about his life from his childhood neither. She  asked him to set a goal to deal with a  specific problem. Steve liked that. It reminded him of the military.  She was a no-nonsense woman who remained understanding while holding acceptable standards of his behaviour.  
  
Steve wasn’t sure it helped after all, but the psychiatrist Dr. Habib was a patient listener, and he guessed it wouldn't do them harm. The worksheets made Steve feel like a five-year old child, but he liked the point that the past didn’t matter and you could still build a life. Besides Tony slept better now.  
  
Then one day when they went to the office, they found that Dr Habib had been missing for days.  
  
Steve was in the kitchen washing dishes when he saw Carol coming in. He paused to greet Carol, then Carol said, “I have a mission for you.”  
  
“What mission?”  
  
“Recently, some changelings were found missing, and there ‘re rumours that they’ve been taken back to the faerie realm. We suspect that it’s the work of the faerie’s changeling or human minions. Either way, we need to stop them.”  
  
When Steve thought about the fact that some changelings would sell out and bring their fellow changelings back to a fate worse than death, he was full of anger. But he had a question. “Why me?”  
  
“You’re like me. We both have no lives to return to. Mine because my fetch was killed in a plane crash. Your because your world’s pretty much gone now. In fact I admire that you can still cling to your clarity. Tony  must be an important help in this.”  
  
“We’re best friends.” Steve said tensely.  
  
There was an awareness in Carol’s eyes. “Don’t ask, don’t tell? Don’t worry, Wanda and I are together too.”  
  
Steve noticed the extreme closeness between the two women, but he was a bit surprised at Carol’s frank admission. He did wonder what don’t ask, don’t tell meant.  
  
“Back to the topic. You need a life to build on. The community needs people like you to aid our fellow beings and fight against the fey. Are you willing to accept it?”  
  
“All right,” Steve answered, feeling that he was of use again.  
  
“We won’t let you go alone. Luke’ll help you.”  
  
Steve nodded at Luke, who said, “Let’s get to work. “  
  
When they were out of the house, Luke filled in Steve about the missing changelings. The first was called John, who worked as a waiter at a greasy spoon. The time he was forced to spend as a doll changed him so that he had ball joint knees and shoulder joints, which made creaky sounds when he walked or moved. Then one day he didn’t go to work. A week after his disappearance the community received a piece of disturbing news:  someone claimed to have seen him being forced into a car.  
  
The second victim was called Phoenix, a cyclops ogre. He always kept to himself and didn’t get on well with other changelings, so his disappearance was discovered late.  
  
Dr Habib was the third victim. Her service was highly valued in the local community for the changelings often had mental or emotional disorders. Therefore her disappearance was more quickly noticed. The local community felt the instant need to investigate, hence Steve and Luke were given the mission.  
  
They went to Dr Habib’ s office first, where Dr Habib ’s secretary was extremely reluctant to talk to them. But between Steve’s glare and Luke’s smile, the secretary finally told them that something didn’t seem all right with Dr Habib ’s last client. Considering Dr Habib s usual clients, it was saying a lot. Steve and Luke looked at each other, and when they left they agreed that this might be an important clue. Steve and Luke then separated. Steve went to Dr Habib’s apartment while Luke would ask after this person.  
  
Steve went to Dr Habib ’s building and talked with the superintendent. At first the superintendent seemed uninterested in Steve, but a bill solved the problem. When Steve asked about Dr Habib, the superintendent said, “The Arabian woman doctor? I think I saw her that morning, some guys held her and took her into a grey car.”  
  
“And you don’t think of doing something?”  
  
The superintendent shrugged, “Am I my tenants’ keeper?  it’s none of my business.”  
  
Angry, Steve nearly snapped. But he chose instead to go to Dr Habib  ‘s apartment to find further evidence as the superintendent didn’t seem to remember anything else When he took the lift, he was surprised at the level of anger he felt toward the superintendent --- it seemed that there was always anger in his heart after returning from the faerie realm.  
  
Steve checked with Dr Habib ’s neighbours and one of them said that a blond woman in a suit did visit Dr Habib  two days ago and there seemed to be an argument, but the neighbour only remembered that the woman was good looking, nothing else when Steve asked further. Steve checked the door and he could see that there were signs of forced entry. Could be a thief or something nastier. He opened the door and searched around the apartment. Then he heard sounds of steps. Thinking quickly , he hid in the bedroom and was ready to strike.  
  
The intruder ‘s steps were light, and the sounds were approaching. When the bedroom door was about to open, Steve attacked. He pounced on the slim Black  man and grabbed his arm. he man tried to kick him but then Steve used his greater strength to put him in a painful submission hold. Finally the man said angrily, “Let me go!”  
  
“Who’re you?” Steve asked.  
  
“It’s a question I should ask you,” the man said  
  
“I’m a friend to look for Dr Habib. She ‘s missing.”  
  
“Never heard Aisha talk about you.”  
  
“And you’re...”  
  
“Sam Wilson. Aisha’s partner.”  
  
Steve let him go, but being careful lest Sam attack again. He tried to think of somethings to persuade that he could be trusted. “Did Dr Habib mention a friend Carol Danvers?”  
  
“Yes, she did.”  
  
“She sent me. You can phone her to confirm it.”  
  
Sam didn’t look trusting, but he pulled out a phone and dialled a number. “Hi, Carol?”  
  
Carol must have convinced him, because Sam seemed to relax now.  
  
“OK. You want to help, but I don’t need someone muddling the water.”  
  
“I wont,” Steve said.  It was better to be friendly, Steve figured. There was no reason to antagonize Sam.  
  
“Maybe we can work together,” Sam finally said.  
  
“How do I contact you?”  
  
“I’ll be around.”  
  
After striking a deal with Sam, Steve made contact with Luke, whom had some discovery. At a eatery, Luke said, “I think the last client’s probably a privateer.”  
  
“What does it mean?”  
  
“A changeling slave trader.”  
  
Steve shivered when he thought of changelings who sold out their brothers and sisters to the true faeries, knowing their fate back at faeries’ hands. He told Luke about Sam. Luke knew him and confirmed his identity. He also suggested that Steve followed him closely lest Sam caused trouble.  
  
<hr>  
Steve was teaching Tony how to spar. He insisted Tony wear safety gear before the session because Tony had a worrying lack of self-reservation. Then they started one-sided sparring. Steve let Tony randomly throw punches and kicks while defending himself. Then they changed roles and Steve kept his motion slow and very light., so that Tony could catch up.  
  
After the exercise, Tony stopped to drink from his water bottle. Then he put it down. “You’re going soft on me,” Tony said accusingly.  
  
“You needed to learn.” Long years of pointless hard slave labour had given Tony great upper body strength, but Tony still had to learn how to utilize it in the best way.  
  
“Does the investigation go well?”  
  
“Fine. We’re getting leads on the disappearances and plan to follow them.”  
  
“We haven’t been with each other for a long time,” Tony said.  
  
“I’m sorry,”  Steve said. Back then they have to steal any time to spend with each other. He felt the loss too.  
  
Steve hugged Tony and returned to their room. Other things could wait. Tonight was just for him and Tony.  
  
Back in their room, Steve kissed Tony gently, making sure to kiss every scar on Tony’s face - a mark of the torture Tony endured and his resilience and quiet strength - Tony turned his face away from Steve at first when they first kissed, but now he submitted to Steve. Tony’s hand gently rubbed over Steve’s hairy face. They only stopped when they grasped for breath, and slowly moved to bed. Finally they could make love to each other with leisure, Steve endeavoured to savour every moment..  
  
Anything else could wait.  
  
<hr>  
Steve was busy. On the one hand he needed to work with Sam on the case, on the other hand he needed to plan the assassination of the fetch with Tony.  
  
Steve could feel that Sam was rightfully suspicious of him, as Steve was after all a stranger. All he could do to lessen the worry was to be with facts, so he focused on the investigation, and tolerated Sam’s snark. He would do the same if Tony was missing and a random guy showed up too.  
  
They met each other at an eatery where Sam asked a lot of pointed questions about Steve’s identity. Steve tried to be honest and diverting most of the difficult questions at the same time, which was difficult. Then Steve heard before seeing that several people were approaching them. He looked up and saw that they were in grey uniform with masks. “Stop meddling in our matters,” one of the people said, and overturned the table. Other costumers began to leave quickly from the scene.  
  
“You’re from AIM?” Sam asked.  
  
The person didn’t reply and throw a punch at Sam. Steve stopped him in the middle and headbutted him.  The person groaned, and other masked people joined the fight. Steve said to Sam, “Run!”  
  
Sam said, “Hey! This’s my fight too!” and kicked another masked person. Steve elbowed one and kneed another, while he heard a groan behind him. When he turned his head, he saw that Sam had already dealt with the assailant. Finally the masked people were down. Only then the eatery owner came to them and said, “The cost...”  
  
“I’m sorry. I’ll try to repay you,” Steve said, looking at the mess the fight made.  
  
“It’s all right. I hate these guys too. Just... I’m taking a holiday, and I suggest you two do the same. Their revenge’s not a child matter.”  
  
“The police...”  
  
“Well, I called them but I doubted anything would be done. Maybe you two should leave first.”  
  
Steve would think that staying would be a citizen’s duty, if not for his fear of being exposed. He thanked her and left with Sam.  
  
On their way, Steve asked, “What do you know about AIM?”  
  
“Nasty people. Have their hands so right up that the police dare not deal with them,” Sam said. “If Aisha’s in AIM’s hand... , she’ll be in real trouble.. But why’ll AIM do it? Aisha’s just a psychiatrist. She shouldn’t be under its radar. ”  Then Sam paused. “Or maybe she saw and helped the wrong client.”  
  
“We could follow up this lead,” Steve suggested.  
  
“It’s weird how they got wind of us so fast. We’ve just started to find Aisha for a few days. Did you talk to a lot people about it?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Maybe we should return to the superintendent at Aisha’s place.”  
  
The superintendent shrugged when they asked him. “Of course I tell them about you two. They are AIM agents.”  
  
Steve felt angry, and Sam didn’t look happy either. They had some hard words with him.  
  
“All right, keep in touch. Be careful. AIM agents are after us now,” Sam said on their way back.  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
“What’re you sorry for? If AIM does anything to Aisha...”  
  
In their next meeting Steve thought that Sam believed him more. and was more relaxed.  He guess that a fight together and a common enemy did that.  
  
“OK, I surfed the Internet, and I find out people talking about AIM abduction on forums. Several incidents in a month. Don’t know if they ‘re linked, but I tried to reach out to them,” Sam said.  
  
“Do you have any results?”  
  
“Not yet. You know the Internet. But maybe we should check out the places. Maybe a hoax, but who know.”  
  
“What about the papers?”  
  
“No so far, but it’s AIM we’re talking about. The last reporter doing an expose on it was nearly killed.”  
  
Steve frowned. AIM sounded more troublesome, and made him uncomfortably thought of the gangs in 30’s New York. It seemed that something never changed.  
<hr>  
Steve was waiting for Sam in Harlem when there was a phone call. Sam apologetically said, “Sorry I may be unable to come today. An urgent case.”  
  
Steve was reminded that Luke told him Sam was a social worker. Apparantly a social worker now was a busy job. “Don’t worry. Good luck!” After that, he took a walk and found that Harlem looked better than it was in 1930’s. He didn’t go into the Ben & Jerry though.  
  
  
This was just the first indication that Sam’s job was very demanding.  He  worked late and could only have his spare time devoted to the investigation. His phone could ring at any time and Sam never answered with an angry or frustrated voice. Steve admired his calmness and patience. It was only from his regular texting Steve of inquiry of his progress when Sam was away at work that Steve knew how worried Sam was. Steve could understand it so he texted back as soon as he could. On the other hand, Steve and Luke finally managed to corner the privateer and was disappointed to know that he had already sold the changelings to a mystical buyer.  
<hr>  
Tony hacked the Stark Industries computer system to get the fetch’s schedule and blue print of its residence.  
  
The Stark Mansion was heavily guarded. Steve stealthily keep watch on the guards and the fetch’s routine. Tony was getting frustrated, and Steve had to watch him lest he did something reckless.  
  
One night Steve found Tony punching the sand bag in the gym. He punched it so hard that his knuckles turned red. Steve said nothing. It was healthier for Tony to express frustration this way.  
.  
The days were passing and there seemed to be no further development on both front. Steve was getting frustrated and worried. He had seen the changelings abducted back to the faerie realm. This was a fate worse than anything.  
  
One day Steve invited Tony out to go for a walk. Steve was glad that he agreed because Tony really needed some fresh air and a diversion from the problems they were facing.  They bought a soda and went to the East River park. There was a soccer field but not many people were playing. Aluminum chairs and tables lined an elegant path. They walked along the river side and Steve found that the water calmed him down. Finally they sat on a bench under the trees. There Steve pulled out his sketch pad and idly chose a squirrel on the branches as a subject.  When Steve raised his head again, he noticed that Tony was watching him with his eyes soft.  Feeling a bit embarrassed, Steve pulled his sketch pad and pencil to Tony and said, “Why don’t you draw something?”  
  
Tony took them and at first to Steve’s uneasiness he draw splat of blackness on the paper. Then he drew some kind of machinery blueprint.  
  
Steve said, “You should draw something you see. No blueprints.”  
  
“Tyranny,” Tony said accusingly with a smile. Finally he sketched a figure holding a sketch pad and Steve realized that Tony was drawing him. They smiled at each other.  
  
Steve heard the sound of several people approaching them with heavy steps. He looked up and saw that these people were in grey uniforms, with their heads covered in masks. Immediately Steve recognized them as AIM agents. But Steve could figure out from the way they walked it was a mixed group. They looked muscular and tall. He frowned because he remembered  the description of these people from Dr Habib’s superintendent. He stood up, was on guard, and told Tony, “Run!”  
  
It was a bit too late. The people pounced on Steve. Individually, Steve could deal with them. But they had the advantage of numbers. Steve pulled his arm backward, then straightened it, throwing a fist at one of the attacker. Then he avoided a grab from another. He kicked another in the kidney and punched another’s nose. From the edge of his eyes he could see that several more appeared and caught Tony. Steve pulled one of them over his shoulder, then he kicked another to try to reach Tony. But the people clunk to him and didn’t let him go, even when Steve heard suppressed groan of pain. Distracted, he felt a jab in his arm and he lost consciousness. When he woke up again, he found that he was in a dark cell, alone. His hands were locked up in handcuffs. He felt his strength leaving his body. Claustrophobia threatened to engulf him, but he had only one thing in his mind: Where was Tony?  
  
Were they back in the faeries' hands, after everything?  
  
He checked over the jail cell. There was no weakness he could exploit, so he had to wait. He focused on getting the handcuffs off.  
  
He seemed to do a lot waiting recently.  
  
Then the door opened. Steve feigned sleep. He felt a pair of hands roughly pulling him across the floor. It was painful, but Steve swallowed a groan.  
  
Then he was pulled up and thrown into a strongly lit room. After he adjusted to the light, he could see that Tony was there, pale. The one who rough handled Steve kicked Steve on the stomach, and said, “Do your job, or we’ll take it out on him.”  
  
“All right,” Tony said.  
  
Steve never felt this useless before. He hated that he was being used to threaten Tony when he could do nothing.  
  
“What do you want me to do?” Tony asked.  
  
“Well, you claim to be Tony’s Stark’s twin. You better hope that you have the intellect to help us build the machine. Otherwise,...”  
  
“I’ll finish it.”  
  
“I ‘ll let him here for you a moment. Better treasure it,” the person said. Then he left and locked the door.  
  
Once the person was out, Tony knelt down to Steve, helped him up, and checked over his injury. “They’ll pay for it,” Tony said, his eyes icy cold, his voice hard.  
  
Steve tried to move his arm and found that strength was returning to him. He was a bit surprised by his rapid recovery. Maybe the dose the kidnapper injected wasn’t too strong.  Then he asked Tony, “Do you have a plan?”  
  
“I’ve sent out a SOS message. Hopefully Dummy would lead the others here. But we’d better save ourselves.”  
  
“Can you reach my left shoe? I think I have a metal wire there.” Thanks for paranoia, Steve thought.  
  
Tony reached for it and took it out, then helped Steve to get rid of the handcuff.  
  
When Steve heard the person approaching the door again, they quickly returned to their original positions. The door opened and the man entered again, but this time Steve and Tony were ready and knocked him down. then Steve searched the person, found an electronic card and weapons, striped him of the uniform, put it on and handcuffed the person. They quickly rushed out of the room and the door automatically locked after it was closed.  
  
Walking along the corridor so as not to arouse suspicion, Tony quickly fed the information he knew to Steve. The peolpe were from AIM, a local terrorist organization. They somehow heard about changelings and wanted to build a machine to harness their magic with Starktech.  
  
“So they kidnapped the other changelings. We’d better reach them before the man wakes up.”  
  
Tony nodded. “I hacked the terminal and found out their location. Follow me.”  
  
“You’re amazing.”  
  
“It’s just a child’s game compared to what I’ve been through.”  
  
They located the cells and found that the changelings  were locked together in a crowded dirty cell. They were visibly injured  One of them has dried blood on her clothes. Another lied on the ground and didn’t move at all, with his eyes closed. Another was moaning in pain.  When they opened the cell with the electronic card, Dr Habib looked at them and asked weakly, “What took you so long?” Steve noticed that her hands were wet with blood, but free of restraints. She must have got rid of it when the captors were distracted.  
  
They continued the escape. Dr Habib helped one of the changelings stand and walk. The ones in better shape struggled to walk by themselves.  
  
Then Steve heard a person walking toward them. He signalled the others to hide in the corners and cautiously approached. It was another AIM agent, who seemed relaxed to see Steve. Steve quickly knocked him down, disarming him and hid him in a corner. He handed the weapon to Tony.  
  
Then when they proceeded, walking past another cell, there was a nasty surprise. Tony’s fetch was inside. He seemed shocked to see Tony, and Tony had the exact expression.  
  
Steve whispered, “What do you want to do?”  
  
Tony paused for a moment. “Get it out then.”  
  
Steve nodded and got the fetch out. The fetch said, “I never expected to see you.”  
  
“They captured you too?”  
  
“Same as you. Wanting to build some crazy weapons of massive destruction. Say no, they don’t listen well.”  
  
This was the moment that Steve noticed that the fetch was beaten, once it was in the brighter light out of the cell.  
  
“Run,” Steve said, because he could hear more people approaching.  
  
They ran. The fetch said, “Ironic, right?”  
Tony didn’t looked at him. “You took my life.”  
  
“It ‘s my life too.”  
  
“You stole everything from me... tell me, did you kill my parents too?”  
  
The fetch looked shock enough the Steve was tended to believe it. “Never!”  
  
Their further conversation was interrupted when Steve’s worry came true. The reinforcement of AIM agents arrived. Steve told the others to run when he stared shooting as suppressing fire.  
  
One of the AIM agents went down, but Steve knew that his weapon wasn’t exactly designed for precise shooting. Beside, bullets would run out. He wasn’t sure why the agents didn’t shoot back. Perhaps they wanted to capture them alive.  
  
An agent shot at Tony. At that moment Tony’s fetch took the bullet intended for Tony. He looked shocked, as if even he couldn’t believe he did hat. Then the body vanished, leaving a pile of clothes. Tony stared at the pile hard.  
  
Then Steve heard welcoming familiar voices,  It was Carol, Luke, Sam and others.  
  
<hr>  
After they dealt with the AIM agents, Tony accessed the mainframe computer terminal to remove all information about changelings from the AIM database and download useful information using the storage unites casually stacked around. (Tony said unbelievably, “Do they ever hear of information security?”) , Just after he’d done, A team of armed personals and entered the room led by a dark-haired woman.  
  
“SHIELD,” she said  
  
After a long and extensive interview by the SHIELD ‘s Agent Romanova Tony left with Steve and the others scattered. His appearance aroused media attention and soon he was surrounded by the reporters. Tony played it off as all the result of treatment he received in AIM’s hands. The media seemed to be in doubt, but Tony quickly charmed them and they swallowed his words.  
  
Killing the fetch was just the first step. Now Tony needed to step in the life the fetch stole and made sure no one noticed. It meant they needed to face Jarvis. Steve held Tony’s hand and found that it was wet. On their way back to the Mansion, Tony didn’t speak anything. His body was tensed, and he rubbed over his eyes.  
  
Surprisingly Jarvis accepted the true fact fast. He only said, “I know it wasn’t Master Anthony. Welcome home, Master Anthony.”  
  
Tony threw himself to Jarvis. Steve felt wetness in his eyes.  
  
Steve and Tony returned to the shelter the next night. The kidnapped changelings were well cared for back at the shelter. Steve was glad that all of them were alive, though in bad situation. At least they were not sent back to the faerie realm, and they would recover. Changelings were tough.  
  
Steve looked at outside a the window. It was a sunny sky . He smiled at Tony, Sam, Luke and others. The kidnapped changelings were rescued. Tony could come back to his life. Things looked good for them.


End file.
